craving vs Stan Store: a free Stan Store alternative with AI chat
craving vs Stan Store compared: free plan vs monthly price, fees, bookings and AI chat. See which creator storefront fits how you actually sell.
By the craving team · Updated · 6 min read
Short answer
Stan Store is a paid creator storefront for your bio link, strong on digital products, courses, coaching calls, communities and Instagram AutoDM, with no free plan. A craving Home is a personal website with chat and Alter, a personal AI that answers Visitors and can make the sale, and you can start free. If you sell courses at high volume and want a flat monthly price with no platform fee, Stan Store fits. If you want to start without a monthly bill and sell calls, custom requests and memberships through conversation, craving is the stronger choice.
- Stan Store has no free plan, only a free trial; its Creator plan is $29 a month, as listed in November 2026.
- The craving Free plan has no monthly fee, and you can earn on it from Tips and Library sales.
- Stan Store takes a 0% transaction fee; craving takes a platform fee of 20% on Free, down to 5% on Pro and Team.
- Alter, the personal AI on craving, chats with Visitors on your Home and is included on every plan.
What is the difference between craving and Stan Store?
Stan Store is a creator storefront that lives in your bio link. It lets you sell digital products, courses, coaching calls, memberships and communities, capture emails, and use AutoDM for Instagram.
craving is a personal website with built-in chat and AI. Your craving Home at craving.com/@yourname shows your links, social profiles, photos, videos, files and contact details. Visitors can message you, ask Alter a question, book a call, send a tip or buy content right on your Home.
craving vs Stan Store at a glance
| craving | Stan Store | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Personal website (Home) with chat, AI and offers | Creator storefront for your bio link |
| Free plan | Yes, no card needed | No, free trial only |
| Monthly price | Free, paid plans from $9.95 | $29 Creator, $99 Creator Pro |
| Platform fee on sales | 20% on Free, down to 5% on Pro and Team | 0%, processing fees apply |
| Paid calls | Bookings, from Go | Coaching calls and bookings |
| Custom requests | Personal Requests, from Go | Not part of the plans we compared |
| AI that chats with visitors on your page | Yes: Alter, on every plan | AutoDM for Instagram |
| Courses and communities | No course builder | Yes |
| Animated profile | Live Portrait | Not part of the plans we compared |
Is there a free Stan Store alternative?
Yes. Stan Store, as listed in November 2026, has no free plan: you start with a free trial, then pay for Creator or Creator Pro. That is a fixed cost before your first sale.
On craving you get a Free plan with no monthly fee and no credit card to start. On Free you get your Home, chat, Alter, Tips and Library sales of photos, videos and files. You pay a 20% platform fee only when you earn, which makes it easy to test an idea before you commit to a monthly plan.
Why does chat on your Home beat a storefront alone?
A storefront is a menu. It works when the visitor already knows which product they want. Coaches, tutors, trainers and artists usually hear a question first: Is this right for my level? Can you do it by Friday? Which session should I book?
On a craving Home that question gets an answer where it is asked. Alter, your personal AI, explains your offers, suggests the right one and can offer and complete the sale while you are coaching, teaching or asleep. It works as your Assistant, speaking about you, or as your Digital Twin, speaking as you. You can read every conversation and take over any chat yourself.
Stan Store's AutoDM works inside Instagram. Alter works on your own Home, where the Visitor can buy, and your messages from web chat, the craving app, email, Bluesky, voice messages and Telegram land in one inbox. WhatsApp joins from Plus, iMessage and RCS/SMS from Pro.
Which offers can you sell on craving vs Stan Store?
Both tools cover paid calls and memberships. On craving, Bookings let people book and pay for phone or video calls, and Memberships give recurring access to selected content and benefits. Go includes up to two membership plans; Plus and up are unlimited and add trial memberships.
craving adds Personal Requests: people request and pay for something made just for them, such as a custom video, a review or a commission. It suits creators whose best work is personal. Stan Store's strength is the other end: courses, digital products and communities sold at scale.
Your Home is also a full personal website. You can run several Homes for different projects or audiences, connect a custom domain on a supported paid plan, and add a Live Portrait so your first impression moves.
Is craving cheaper than Stan Store?
As listed in November 2026, Stan Store costs $29 a month ($300 a year) for Creator and $99 a month ($948 a year) for Creator Pro. Stan takes a 0% transaction fee, and Stripe or PayPal processing fees apply.
The craving Free plan costs $0 a month. The platform fee is 20% on Free and Go, 10% on Plus, and 5% on Pro and Team. When Alter itself makes a sale, an extra 15% applies; sales you make yourself have no AI fee. A payment processing charge is added at checkout for the Visitor. Paid plans are $9.95, $29.95, $69.95 and $99.95 a month, with 12 months for the price of 10 on annual billing.
Be honest about your numbers. When you are starting out or selling occasionally, craving's Free plan costs nothing until you earn. When your monthly sales are large and steady, Stan Store's flat price with a 0% fee can come out cheaper, so run your own math.
When is Stan Store the better choice?
- You sell courses or run a paid community, and need the course builder that craving does not have.
- Your sales are high and steady, so a flat monthly price with a 0% Stan fee beats a percentage.
- Your audience lives in Instagram DMs and you want AutoDM for Instagram.
- You want PayPal as a payment option, which Stan Store lists alongside Stripe.
If you want to start free, sell your time and personal work, and let an AI answer questions on your own page, a craving Home is the better fit.
How do you switch from Stan Store to craving?
- Create your free Home and choose your username.
- Add your links, socials and content, and move files you sell into your Library.
- Tell Alter about your offers and pick Assistant or Digital Twin.
- Connect Stripe, turn on Tips, then add Bookings, Personal Requests or Memberships.
- Put your Home in your bios, share its QR code in person, and Build your Home.
Frequently asked questions
Is craving a good Stan Store alternative?
Yes, especially if you want a free plan and an AI that chats with visitors on your page. A craving Home supports Bookings, Memberships, Personal Requests, Tips and Library sales, with Alter answering questions and completing sales.
Does Stan Store have a free plan?
No. As listed in November 2026, Stan Store offers a free trial, then the Creator plan at $29 a month or Creator Pro at $99 a month.
Does Stan Store take a transaction fee?
Stan Store takes a 0% transaction fee, as listed in November 2026, but Stripe or PayPal processing fees still apply to each payment.
Can I sell coaching calls on craving?
Yes. With craving Bookings, people can book and pay for phone or video calls on your Home, available from the Go plan at $9.95 a month.
Can I sell courses on craving?
No. There is no course builder on craving. You can sell photos, videos and files through your Library and offer recurring access through Memberships, but Stan Store is the better fit for full courses.
Sources
Facts about other products were checked on their official pages in November 2026. Prices and features change, so confirm on their sites before you decide.